The editorial (Penticton Western News, April 13, Voices of the people) sums up my sentiments exactly with the following quote: “But we wonder if their greater use of community engagement is really changing anything in the decision making process, or is it just to make the community feel good?”
Or more likely, is it just a diversionary tactic or smoke screen?
The parking issue at the South Okanagan Events Centre is a perfect case in point. We are told by the city that they have a lease in place that specifies X number of parking spaces that the casino is allowed to use. We are not told why the city is not enforcing this clause of the agreement when the casino is obviously using far more spaces than specified by the city. Is the information that the city has given us valid? Who knows? The public is entitled to know why the city is committing taxpayer dollars to solve a problem that is the casino’s responsibility to resolve based on the information at hand.
If the city is attempting to restore lost credibility with the residents, this is certainly not the way to do it.
Claude Bergman
Penticton